'I have no regrets' - Duncan Smith

Iain Duncan Smith said he had "no regrets" about his time as Conservative Party leader and was now looking forward to his new career as a novelist.

The ousted leader of the Opposition declared he had enjoyed his two years leading the Tories but was now looking forward to the future, which could involve writing some political philosophy as well as fiction.

"I'm a writer now", Mr Duncan Smith professed in an interview to promote his new book - The Devil's Tune, a political thriller he completed in 1997.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, which features extracts from the novel that delves into the world of of art-smuggling and American politics, Mr Duncan Smith declared the past two years had toughened him up.

Refusing to comment on Michael Howard's bid for the Conservative Party leadership, he said: "I'm out of that now. I leave that to them. If they want to pick over the carcass they can, but I've moved on. I never look back."

After the intense criticism he received as Tory leader, Mr Duncan Smith claimed he was well placed to shrug off any criticism about his novel.

"I'm not making any great claims," he said. "Somebody will say, 'He thinks he's writing the world's greatest novel'. It is not. I'm not expecting any prizes for this."

The Devil's Tune, written when Mr Duncan Smith was on the backbenches, is the sort of book the ex-Tory leader said he enjoyed reading himself, "more Wilkie Collins than Jeffrey Archer".

He said that a further novel, set in British politics, may follow and also revealed that he had received invitations to lecture in the US on political philosophy. He told the newspaper that he was looking forward to the conclusion of the so-called "Betsygate" investigation - by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Sir Philip Mawer - into allegations that his wife did not carry out her duties as his PA. Calling the allegations "outrageous" he said the probe had "dragged its heels".